Introducing The Open Rights Group

After six weeks locked in the shed at the bottom of the NTK garden, wherein much deliberation, discussion and a small amount of bodily harm (non-grievous) took place, we finally have a name. I bring you... The Open Rights Group.

We were going to scribble it on the back on an envelope and pass it round, as per our normal working methodology, but we figured that this temporary blog could possibly do the job just as well. We will set up a permanent home on the web, so until then this rough and ready lean-to I whipped up just now will have to do.

So, what news of ORG, as we now like to be called? Whither our efforts this last few weeks?

Well, pretty much the first thing that we did was rope in a bunch of co-conspirators, so we now have on board:

Danny O'Brien

Ian Brown

Cory Doctorow

Rufus Pollock

Louise Ferguson

Stef Magdalinski

Suw Charman

We've also been having surreptitious chats with a few other people, twisting a few arms, and hope to announce some more names soon, just as soon as the plaster has set.

High on our agenda has been figuring out what it is that we're actually going to do. Pledging to 'fight for your digital rights' is all well and good, but it does sound a bit like a second-rate Beastie Boys track. We want to do something a bit more substantial than throw tantrums and nick VW badges, so here's our back-of-the-napkin manifesto for reclaiming you digital rights:

The Open Rights Group is committed to protecting your digital rights, to fighting bad legislation both in the UK and Europe, and to fostering a grassroots community of volunteers dedicated to campaigning on digital rights issues.

Your civil and human rights are being eroded in the digital realm. Government, big business and industry bodies are taking liberties with your digital liberties, actions they could never get away with in the "real" world.

Our goals are:

to raise awareness within the media of digital rights abuses

to provide a media clearinghouse, connecting journalists with experts and activists

to campaign to preserve and extend traditional civil liberties in the digital world

to collaborate with other digital rights and related organisations

to nurture and assist a community of campaigning volunteers, from grassroots activists to technical and legal experts

Your right to privacy is being eroded by the government's ill-conceived ID card scheme, by biometric passports and the threat of vehicle tracking systems. Your right to free speech and freedom to use digital media is under threat from corporations who believe that 'fair use' of copyrighted works should exist only at their sufferance. Your right to private life and correspondence is under threat from a proposed European directive to log traffic and geographical data for every call you make, every SMS you send, every email you write, every website you visit.

It is essential in this time of international tension and uncertainty that we vigourously defend our digital civil liberties, ensuring that the our hard-won freedoms are not taken away simply because they've moved to the digital world.

We still have a lot to do and a lot to sort out, before the pledge matures, but we're on the case. I'll be posting here with news to keep you up to date with what we're doing, and will be keeping my eye out on the digital rights issues that come onto my radar.

Comments (19)

Please don't mistake my schoolboy humour for me being a young 'un as that was a long time ago. However, I can possibly get your ORG Youth Wing fixed up with some free UK Web hosting and other useful goodies, if that's any help.

Ah, just what we need yet another digital rights group. That's about two dozen. It is unfortunate that there are more people willing to start groups than help out existing ones, but then maybe they need to pad out their CVs.

Sod, it. I'm starting YADRG. Our aim is to encourage the creation of more digital rights groups. Whenever we get 5 members we'll spawn them off as a new group.

Good job. It's about time the beloved leaders of europe had opposition on the front-line of their war on our civil rights.

I join Andy in pledging assistance to this fight (i am but a poor PhD electronic engineering student, but am a competent user of the english language and an experienced campaigner on human rights issues).

BTW - my wife is American, so pretty soon they tell me we can't vivit half of our family unless i let the government (bless 'em) keep records of my fingerprints, retina scans etc... Ummmmm.... Let the powers that be hold on to enough information to convict me in a court of law.... Let me see.... I think 'No' is the word that comes to mind.

What happens if ID cards are brought in and 10 million of us just say no?

Drew: Broad categories, yes. We'll focus in due course, but for now we need to get things moving, which takes a lot more work than you might imagine!

David: We're still dealing with the structure and infrastructure of the organisation. I have you already on my list of 'people keen to do stuff', and soon as we've figured out what that stuff is we'll be in touch.

Open Rights Group exists to preserve and promote your rights in the digital age. We are funded by thousands of people like you. We are based in London, United Kingdom. Open Rights is a non-profit company limited by Guarantee, registered in England
and Wales no. 05581537.